RDawson Posted March 4, 2018 #1 Posted March 4, 2018 Boss wants to take a trip the 1st of April. I've heard a bit about the BRP and thinking of riding from somewhere around Asheville south and meandering over around Fall Creek Falls before heading home. Having never been there I'm wondering if it's an April Fools trip that early in the year. Are the temps usually warm enough by April to be playing up on the mountain or will she be smacking the back of my helmet all week to head south? The original plan was Florida but I don't want the whole time riding to get there in time to turn around and head home. This will be her first ride longer than a few hours so I need to make it good. No heated seats or gear.
BlueSky Posted March 4, 2018 #2 Posted March 4, 2018 https://www.google.com/search?q=Average+temperature+in+April+for+Asheville+nc&oq=Average+temperature+in+April+for+Asheville+nc&aqs=chrome..69i57j0.16630j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
djh3 Posted March 4, 2018 #3 Posted March 4, 2018 Some elevations I have to imagine it can be chilly. BRP has a site you can check on road conditions and I think temps.
mraf Posted March 4, 2018 #4 Posted March 4, 2018 We rode the Skyline drive which turns into the Blue Ridge Parkway about 6 or7 years ago. If you can, try to time it when the Mountain Laurels are in full bloom. They were a little past there full beauty when we rode it but it was still beautiful. There were places that were nothing but flowers on both side and hanging over the road for quite a while along the road. If its cool riding maybe this beautiful spectacle will enthrall your significant other enough to keep her riding.
zagger Posted March 4, 2018 #5 Posted March 4, 2018 The Blue Ridge Parkway is very beautiful and well worth a visit. As I remember, the speed limit is quite low (45mph) which does detract somewhat from enjoying the roads on a bike. Of course, if it happens to be cold, then the slower speeds might help the situation. zag
RDawson Posted March 5, 2018 Author #6 Posted March 5, 2018 Some elevations I have to imagine it can be chilly. BRP has a site you can check on road conditions and I think temps. Yeah those high elevation temps are what I was wondering about. She loves the natural sights but not the cold.
RDawson Posted March 5, 2018 Author #7 Posted March 5, 2018 We rode the Skyline drive which turns into the Blue Ridge Parkway about 6 or7 years ago. If you can, try to time it when the Mountain Laurels are in full bloom. They were a little past there full beauty when we rode it but it was still beautiful. There were places that were nothing but flowers on both side and hanging over the road for quite a while along the road. If its cool riding maybe this beautiful spectacle will enthrall your significant other enough to keep her riding. That's my underhanded tricky plan to make her like the ride. I hope to spend a lot of time on the bike out west after we retire. I have to get her hooked on the bike and then figure out how to get her out of the classroom, teachers have a tendency to get addicted to the school and stay forever. I'm glad she enjoys her career but 30 years should be enough by my thinking. (then again I never was the star pupil)
RDawson Posted March 5, 2018 Author #8 Posted March 5, 2018 The Blue Ridge Parkway is very beautiful and well worth a visit. As I remember, the speed limit is quite low (45mph) which does detract somewhat from enjoying the roads on a bike. Of course, if it happens to be cold, then the slower speeds might help the situation. zag I'm hoping that the slow speeds there will distract her from the speeds we run the rest of the trip. This is sort of a test trip for her to see how much traveling we can do on the bike after retirement, we're both on the countdown. I think I've had about enough fires and wrecks and hope she's about done with the 3rd graders.
Venturous Randy Posted March 5, 2018 #9 Posted March 5, 2018 This has been a unique weather year for sure in this area. I am across the mountain on the Tennessee side and week before last we put at least 500 miles on the Miata with the top down. Our temp for Thursday is supposed to be 37/23 degrees. Time wise, we are with-in a week to two weeks of the Blizzard of 93 and Boone, NC got about 3 feet of snow and I'm sure the higher elevations got more as Boone is about 3,333 feet elevation and Mt Mitchel is 6,684 feet. Another thing is those higher elevations are a month to six weeks behind the lower one for flowers. Our Rhododendron Festival for Roan Mt is usually the third week of June when they are bloomed out. Given this, I would be real leery of trying to do anything around the mountains for the first of April. Also, the Linn Cove Viaduct is closed for renovation and that will last up into Spring. That is a great thing to see on a motorcycle. Another suggestion would be to come to the Asheville Rally the third week of August and you will not only see the beautiful BRP, but some beautiful Venture Riders. And you will have a blast. Randy
RDawson Posted March 5, 2018 Author #10 Posted March 5, 2018 This has been a unique weather year for sure in this area. I am across the mountain on the Tennessee side and week before last we put at least 500 miles on the Miata with the top down. Our temp for Thursday is supposed to be 37/23 degrees. Time wise, we are with-in a week to two weeks of the Blizzard of 93 and Boone, NC got about 3 feet of snow and I'm sure the higher elevations got more as Boone is about 3,333 feet elevation and Mt Mitchel is 6,684 feet. Another thing is those higher elevations are a month to six weeks behind the lower one for flowers. Our Rhododendron Festival for Roan Mt is usually the third week of June when they are bloomed out. Given this, I would be real leery of trying to do anything around the mountains for the first of April. Also, the Linn Cove Viaduct is closed for renovation and that will last up into Spring. That is a great thing to see on a motorcycle. Another suggestion would be to come to the Asheville Rally the third week of August and you will not only see the beautiful BRP, but some beautiful Venture Riders. And you will have a blast. Randy I wish we could be there. School is back in session in early August and that's the time frame when my prop business is hammered and it's all hands on deck to get the last shows out for the fall season. She is set on the Spring break trip in April as the youngest is going on a school trip so we're without kids for a week. I'm trying to put 2-3 routes together for that week so we can choose last minute depending on weather. Thanks for the invite, it's on my list for retirement in a couple years. We're gonna try to make Don's MD in June, and maybe one more before school starts this year.
Venturous Randy Posted March 5, 2018 #11 Posted March 5, 2018 You mentioned Fall Creek Falls and that is one of our favorite camping places. Being retired, we like to camp during the week and leave the campgrounds to the families on the weekends. Randy
Ky. Rider Posted March 6, 2018 #12 Posted March 6, 2018 I've ridden BRP but it was in June and we ran in some cool temps in higher elevations. Have you considered Natchez Trace Parkway for that time of the year? You can get on it in Nashville and it heads south to Natchez, Ms.
RDawson Posted March 6, 2018 Author #13 Posted March 6, 2018 I've ridden BRP but it was in June and we ran in some cool temps in higher elevations. Have you considered Natchez Trace Parkway for that time of the year? You can get on it in Nashville and it heads south to Natchez, Ms. Gonna look into that, thanks.
Ky. Rider Posted March 6, 2018 #14 Posted March 6, 2018 Gonna look into that, thanks. There is a nice article in Road Runner (Apr., 18) magazine that is out now about riding NTP.
RDawson Posted March 11, 2018 Author #15 Posted March 11, 2018 Got the new Commander II, Skydoc clutch upgrade, Mic-Mutes, and waiting for the Amplirider. Add all these to the Edsets splitter and Bluetooth receiver, do an oil change, carb synch, fluid check and we're ready to pack up and roll. Gonna wait until about time to roll out to choose the route, all depending on weather. Blue Ridge, Natchez, Alabama, Florida, Georgia? Who knows. Bet it's going to be fun. :7_6_3[1]:and hopefully none of this:mytruck:
Yammer Dan Posted March 12, 2018 #16 Posted March 12, 2018 Got the new Commander II, Skydoc clutch upgrade, Mic-Mutes, and waiting for the Amplirider. Add all these to the Edsets splitter and Bluetooth receiver, do an oil change, carb synch, fluid check and we're ready to pack up and roll. Gonna wait until about time to roll out to choose the route, all depending on weather. Blue Ridge, Natchez, Alabama, Florida, Georgia? Who knows. Bet it's going to be fun. See!! All ya gotta do is git rid of those ideas!!! Good Luck!!!
RDawson Posted March 12, 2018 Author #18 Posted March 12, 2018 It's snowing on the Parkway right now. That storm blew through here yesterday. Biggest snow flakes I've ever seen. Very wet and heavy, it sounded like we were driving through a rain storm.
Kybigmac Posted March 13, 2018 #19 Posted March 13, 2018 April will be really pushing it! It’s one of my favorite summer rides because it’s cool up there when it’s hot everywhere else. There’s lots of good places to ride in Arkansas,Mississippi,Alabama and north Georgia. Good luck with your trip!
WRIDR Posted March 13, 2018 #20 Posted March 13, 2018 Definitely Natchez Trace offers a much better chance of enjoyable weather at that time of year. You have a TON 'riding' on good weather for this Trip, and the odds on NTP paying off for you are too good to ignore. Save 'The Ridge' for later; it will still be there. Rgds, WRIDR
Yammer Dan Posted March 13, 2018 #21 Posted March 13, 2018 I'll bet the Parkway would be really nasty in snows like this. I came up I 79 about 30 mph this morning in places. Never got over 45. In town it was 15 mph.
RDawson Posted March 14, 2018 Author #22 Posted March 14, 2018 Sounds like NTP needs to be plan A with a couple options if there's bad weather that way. Thanks for the input so far. More ideas are welcome also.
RDawson Posted April 2, 2018 Author #23 Posted April 2, 2018 We're heading out Monday morning. Looks like we will head due east through Ky, see some mountain roads, then jump over into North Carolina and play a little. We'll try to get down into East Tennessee Tuesday evening and head west toward the storms. If I time it right the rain will pass us by during the night and we can head back out Wednesday morning seeing the sights slowly heading back west and home on Friday. If anybody is around Asheville, Gatlinburg, Nashville and points in between maybe we can meet over coffee and a meal. Loose plans based on the current weather maps, we'll play it by ear checking the weather often. May make a part of the Blue Ridge yet. 5 days of disconnect therapy badly needed.:7_2_104[1]:.
videoarizona Posted April 3, 2018 #24 Posted April 3, 2018 RD have a safe trip! OH...teachers...yea they never know when to quit working. A friend of mine's wife kept going until she realized the bennies were not keeping up with her years and the school district wasn't going to get any better. She finally quit after 35 years. She's mad she didn't leave earlier....just a thought. Teaching is great but not rewarding financially anymore...
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